St. Peter 5th grader: Living a Christian life takes effort, but it’s rewarding

By Emersyn Banquer
5th grade, St. Peter, Covington

I think we are called to live our lives the way Jesus did – and in the way we would have lived, had God not given us free will.

I connect most with the story of “Jesus Walks on Water.” In the Bible, it states, “But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

What we should take away most from this story is that we should always trust in Jesus, because life without him brings more pain than the struggles we face today. We should also remember that he walks through these difficulties with us.

I believe that this story is calling me to trust in God, pray to him, lean on him and remember that he is always with us. I can show Jesus that I am trying to answer his call by praying often and telling him that I am trying.

Building virtues

I can also try extra hard to work on some virtues that I am not strong in right now. Two virtues that are especially important to me are integrity and forgiveness.

Integrity means doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. It’s like being true to your values and principles. Integrity shows your character and builds trust. People know they can count on you to do what’s right. I can embody integrity by using empathy and logic in every situation, even tough ones.

Forgiveness is like healing your heart. It means choosing to move on and not holding grudges against others. Forgiveness helps mend relationships and brings peace. It frees you from carrying negative feelings and allows you to grow as a person.

I can embody forgiveness by simply forgiving, not just saying, “I forgive you,” but reflecting on it and making sure that both I and the person I’m forgiving don’t have any loose ends to tie up.

An extra virtue that I personally need to work on is patience. A few things I can do to improve on that in my everyday life are not procrastinating; trying to understand the other side of an argument; and working on explaining my views in a calm manner.

Catholic school difference

One of the things St. Peter School offers to help me with my faith is a weekly check-in that we fill out every Monday. We write what we’re feeling and how we might need help. Both my religion teacher, Mrs. Uratta, and our school’s social worker, Mrs. England, read them, and I am so thankful for this!

My Catholic education provides me with other opportunities to help me grow in my faith, such as having a “Monday Virtue 360.” It’s a time when we reflect on how we can grow as Catholics and think about how we can live more like Jesus.

We also have after-school clubs like Girls’ Club, where we spend time reflecting and journaling in the chapel about how we can follow Jesus’ plan for us. In Girls’ Club this year we learned about inner beauty – how beauty is not just found on the outside.

I feel closest to God whenever I am in the chapel and receiving the sacrament of reconciliation because I can have some quiet time with him and tell him my deepest problems and feelings, and I know that he understands them.

These practices are important to me because they add community to being Catholic. For me, being able to talk about my faith experiences with someone and them giving me their experiences in return helps me see Jesus in others and understand better how he is calling me to live.